Erik Bauer is a civil trial lawyer with over 30 years experience. Mr. Bauer is passionate about representing victims of crimes. He knows that oftentimes victims are left behind, their pain is forgotten by those around them, and they can feel like everything is their fault. Mr. Bauer knows that is not the case. Children are put in incomprehensible situations where they get hurt, by no fault of their own. Mr. Bauer believes that children are our future, they are the most vulnerable of society, and that there is a great need to protect them.

He believes that the protection of children should be the highest priority, both in the legislature and in the judicial system. Oftentimes, victims of sex trafficking are charged with crimes (like prostitution) and released from custody back into the greedy controlling arms of their traffickers, never to be seen or heard from again.

He is currently involved in a nation-wide precedent setting case on behalf of several minor girls who were trafficked on backpage.com, the nation’s largest human trafficking website. And the Washington State Supreme Court agreed with Erik Bauer; victims of sex trafficking sold through the nation’s largest human trafficking website, backpage.com, should be allowed to sue the website because it helped facilitate and produce illegal content. This precedent-setting ruling will ripple across the nation and Erik Bauer is ready for the fight.

Abuse can go unnoticed by society, unrecognized by authorities and can fall through the cracks of the system. But harm caused by abuse can last a lifetime. Mr. Bauer loves to fight for the underdog. He is not afraid to take on bullies and large government and corporate entities and bring them to their knees. He has represented victims of abuse for decades and has won multi-million dollar settlements for his clients against police departments, child protective services, hospitals, youth camps, daycares and churches.

Mr. Bauer has traveled the nation, meeting with victims, hearing their stories, and training others how to recognize the seriousness of child sex trafficking. He understands that victims need a voice, guidance towards a brighter future, and hope that their traffickers, and websites like Backpage.com, will be held accountable for the abuse they have suffered.
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No one is “too big” or “too strong” to be held accountable for abuse. Mr. Bauer offers free consultations where he will gladly sit down with you in a quiet relaxed atmosphere and listen to you and your experiences. He knows that abusive acts from childhood are difficult to come to terms with and difficult to discuss.